


What Might Have Been

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-28
Updated: 2014-02-28
Packaged: 2018-01-14 01:19:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1247344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney has a nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Might Have Been

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #149 "dodge a bullet"

“John,” said Rodney’s voice insistently, to go along with the hand shaking his shoulder. “ _John_.”

It wasn’t an emergency, or there would have been alarms going off, but Rodney sounded anxious and a little vulnerable— must have been a nightmare, then.

“Hey,” said John, rolling onto his back. The lights were still off, but he could see Rodney sitting up in bed beside him. “Was it that one with the whale again?”

“What?” said Rodney. “No, it was… it was _horrible_.”

“Hey,” John said again. He sat up, mentally turning on the bedside light. “It was really that bad?”

“Yes! Well, maybe not, I mean, it was just… and I…”

John caught Rodney’s wildly-moving hands. “Why don’t you tell me about it, and I can help you figure out how terrible it was.”

Rodney rolled his eyes, but nodded and leaned back against the headboard. “I was back on Earth,” he said. “I worked at a university, teaching physics. My last class was over, and I drove home. I had a huge house in a good neighborhood, but when I pulled in the driveway, I stopped. I knew that my gorgeous blonde wife was home, and that she’d have dinner ready. That our two perfect, genius kids would be doing their homework, that after dinner they’d leave me alone to work on my equations. That nobody was trying to kill me, and I had absolutely nothing to worry about other than which of my brilliant papers would win me the most awards. And I _hated_ it.”

“Wait…” said John. “Your worst nightmare is living in the suburbs?”

“Sheppard—”

“I’m sorry! It’s just… you’re always so stressed, Rodney. I guess I thought maybe you’d be… not happier, but at least less worried, if you didn’t have to save the galaxy three times a week.”

Rodney scowled. “Have you been talking to Carson about my blood pressure again?” he demanded. 

“No more than usual,” said John. He smiled. “So, you’re really that freaked out by this?”

“Yes,” said Rodney. “Because… because maybe I _did_ wonder what my life would have been like if I had never gotten involved with the Stargate Program. And if that was it? Then I am very, very glad I ended up here.”

John grinned. “Then you really dodged a bullet coming to another galaxy and marrying me, huh?”

Rodney snorted, and leaned in for a kiss.

THE END


End file.
